Plague, flagellants and the murder of Jews

The last work of František Graus, published in 1987 under the title Pest - Geissler - Judenmorde: das 14. Jahrhundert als Krisenzeit, represents the author's return to the theme of the crisis of the late Middle Ages. Drawing on a vast number of sources, it traces the crisis manifestations, especially in the urban environment, which was a laboratory of religious and social tensions that were triggered in Western Europe by the devastating plague epidemic of 1347-1351. He also focused innovatively on the issue of anti-Jewish pogroms, which were mostly caused by reactions to the outbreak of the plague and fed latent medieval anti-Semitism. In addition, Graus examined in detail the transformation of religious and social ideas caused by the religious crisis triggered by the church schism and the disruption or undermining of existing social bonds. The plagues and scavengers are a colourful fresco of Western society at the end of the Middle Ages, which struggled to find adequate answers to many crises. The publication of the book was supported by the City of Prague.